Tykocin Castle — Attraction in gmina Tykocin

The place is still almost empty because of Covid, but it is definitely worth visiting. We were the only guests that day, but we decided to stay and give it a try. Food was OK, my husband might have made a better choice though, he had a chicken soup with kołduny (tortellini like pasta) and duck pierogis, which have been very tasty. My "babka" was not only very salty, but had actually very little resemblance with that yummy Polish speciality I love so much, except for the main ingredient... 🥔. It was mushy and it was covered with gluey mushroom sauce, made out of mushrooms which are good for marinating, but which disintegrate into "glue" while cooked... I had "żurek" as well. This is a century-old traditional Polish soup, which should be THE soup served in a castle setting like the one in Tykocin. Unfortunately the cook missed the target here as well. The soup I was served looked like "żurek", but tasted like a condensed canned soup, with not the right amount of water added. It was thick and it had a metallic aftertaste, so I don't recommend those two dishes. BUT...The restaurant and the entire ambiance is very pretty and attractive, service was exceptionally attentive and nice and the outdoor setting allowed us to watch storks nesting nearby. I am sure there are other very good dishes on the menu, and I will try...

We went to the restaurant with some friends of ours. Initially there were no tables available so we booked one for later in the day. When the waitress attended our table to take our order we were under impression she just wanted to rush us to choose from the menu and had a very limited knowledge about the menu items. I had to chase after her to complete the order as she ignored me while I was taking to her to double check she got the order right. It appeared as if the job she performed was a sentence rather than something she got paid for. The were absolutely no vegan options on the menu. Even though I had verified our order with the waitress at the bar she still didn't get it right. We were waiting a long time for our meals. When they finally arrived they all came at different times. One of the children had to wait for the meal so long that everyone else managed to finish theirs... The meals were served on broken/ chipped plates with very sharp edges in places were they were chipped. Luckily it was noticed early so we could warn and watch our kids not to cut themselves.

They food was very, very average for the price.

This was probably one of the worst restaurant experiences we have had. To be honest you get better service and food quality from a takeaway.

If you're in the area I would suggest going anywhere...

As we arrived, my Czech friend exclaimed, “We’re staying in a castle! We’re really staying in a castle!” I said, “What? You didn’t believe me? I told you we were staying in a castle.” He replied, “I just thought you were being American and that it was just some place decorated like a castle.”

Tykocin Castle is still being reconstructed, but much of it is already complete. You can see in places the original foundation, and it’s been rebuilt based on actual plans. It really is a castle.

We reserved a twin room, and it was perfect for our needs. Simple but clean with plenty of space. My only problem was that there were 6 bottles of shampoo but no hand soap. Oh well, shampoo can also wash hands.

Since we were there in October, the castle was quiet with very few guests or staff. It’s also quite rural, so I would never expect huge crowds. We had an excellent dinner at the castle restaurant and loved every dish. There was also a large breakfast that we couldn’t even finish.

I will try to return to Tykocin Castle...